Coming Home

 I always love it when our kids come home to visit. This past couple of years have been challenging, what with Covid and travel restrictions.

Our Japanese “son,” Toshi, used to come to California on business several times a year. He extended each trip by a few days so he could come to Dana Point for a visit. He was actually here with us the day foreign travel was shut down in 2020. We suggested he just remain here, but he said he had obligations in Japan. He flew out that night, and we hadn’t seen him since.

We all bemoaned his inability to travel during the time he was gone.

However, he is now fully vaccinated, and the restrictions have been lifted—or at least lightened. He arrived on May 3 for over three weeks with us, and we were so happy to see him!

When he comes, he brings two laptop computers and continues to participate in Zoom meetings and to do work while he is here. I keep urging him to take a REAL vacation. Also, because his clients are in Asia, most of his meetings are late at night or in the wee hours of the morning. Sleep is a luxury for him!

He has many friends here in Orange County and San Diego. So, while he is here, he plans visits to see them. We still have three cars, so he uses mine during his stays.

If he goes out drinking with his friends, he always texts me to let me know he is spending the night where he is, rather than driving home. I appreciate his thoughtfulness and consideration.

While he was here, we went to Disneyland with him one day. We were pleased that he could get a ticket and that we could make reservations for the same day. We had a great time!

He took several early morning walks at the marina with us, and we enjoyed having him. On his last evening, we took the Bluff Top Trail (or the Hide Trail) just before sunset. It is short, but it has gorgeous views of the harbor, which we all enjoyed.

Larry meets several of his friends via Zoom a couple of times a month. Most of them are retired, and some live away from California. Since Toshi knows most of them, Larry invited him to join them for a meeting.

He was very impressed. He said his father is retired, but he has no relationships with any other men since his retirement. Toshi wants to create a template for the kind of group he observed here. He wants market it to companies as part of their retirement packages as a way for former employees to stay in touch. I certainly hope he can find a way to make it work.

Since he knows many of our friends, he attended a number of events and church with us.

Like our daughter, Kim, Toshi has favorite restaurants to visit while he is here. One is our favorite, The Harbor Grill in Dana Point Harbor. We enjoyed a lovely dinner there with him.

He also wanted an American steak before he left. We had a meal at the Claim Jumper. He and Larry each ordered a different steak and then shared them so they could taste both.

He always has items to purchase while he is here in California. This time, he bought two pairs of driving shoes. Several years ago, we bought him a pair. He told us they are now worn out.

He also looked for T-shirts. He likes simple ones without designs. He found a couple he liked.

One Saturday morning, we went down to the Outlets at San Clemente for Cars and Coffee. He loves fast cars, and there were plenty of them for him to look at. Afterward, we ate brunch at Ruby’s Diner.

His stay was over far too quickly. He flew to San Francisco, where he planned to spend a couple of days. Then he took two days to visit the Napa Valley. He swore he was taking a real vacation while he was there.

He will fly back to Tokyo in a couple of days from San Francisco. He hopes to be back here again in a few months. We certainly hope this will be possible since we thoroughly enjoy having him.